Electrical connector assembly



Dec. 19, 1967 w. H. MCKEE 3,359,529

ELECTR I CAL CONNECTOR AS SEMBLY Filed May 6, 1966 6 &\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\- I E g 6 use 2| Inventor williamfiM Kee 5 hi l fifiorn egsmew United States Patent 3,359,529 ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY William H. McKee, West Covina, Califi, assignor to United-Carr Incorporated, Boston, Mass., a corporation of Delaware Filed May 6, 1966, Ser. No. 548,096 5 Claims. (Cl. 339-100) The present invention relates to an improved electrical connector assembly and more particularly to an improved connector unit for use with flexible ribbon cable having a plurality of flat, ribbon-like conductor elements embedded therein and wherein a plurality of terminal elements are employed to maintain the respective body portions of the connector in a face-to-face relation so as to define an enclosure for the connector without the need of additional or external hardware.

In the miniature electrical connector art, especially that involving the manufacture of electrical connectors for use in printed circuit applications, or for use in aircraft, missiles, and/ or other space vehicles, reliability and weightsaving are prime considerations.

The present invention is directed to the provision of an improved electrical connector unit wherein associated terminal elements are effectively utilized to retain economically formed insulating blocks in sandwiched relation so as to define a suitable protective enclosure for the connector unit. Accordingly, independent and additional means for utilizing the insulating blocks are not required. In this way a small, but perhaps significant, weight-saving may be realized without any attendant sacrifice in reliability. In the manufacture of a connector of this type, it can readily be appreciated that the small weight-saving realized in each connector may be significant when the number of connector assemblies utilized in any given aircraft or space vehicle is considered.

It, accordingly, is a general object of the present invention to provide an improved electrical connector assembly.

Another object of the present invention resides in the provision of an improved electrical connector assembly having connector units terminating respective ends of a cable wherein each of the connector units include complementary connector bodies economically formed from plastic or other suitable insulating material.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved electrical connector unit wherein the respective body sections of the connector in the form of preformed insulating blocks are retained in the proper sandwiched relation about the cable by associated termi nal elements inserted within the connector unit.

An additional object of the present invention resides in the provision of improved electrical connector units for use with flat, flexible cables of the type having ribbonlike conductors embedded therein and wherein associated terminal elements are employed within the connector units to hold the connector bodies in the form of insulating blocks of plastic material in sandwiched protective configuration about the cable and also to cut into the ribbon-like conductors and establish electrical continuity thereto.

Still another object of the present invention is to pro-.-;

vide an improved electrical connector assembly wherein connector units terminate the respective ends of a flat, flexible cable having a plurality of embedded ribbon-like conductors and wherein the connector units include terminal elements insertable therein with each terminal element making electrical contact with an associated one of the ribbon-like conductors and remaining electrically isolated from each of the other ribbon-like conductors.

A further object of the present invention resides in the provision of an electrical connector that is economical 3,359,529 Patented Dec. 19, 1967 to manufacture, easy to assemble and that is reliable in use as well as being relatively light weight.

The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the present invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, together withfurther objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the fo1- lowing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmetary view in perspective of an electrical connector assembly constructed in accordance with the present invention and which includes a multiribbon cable terminated in complementary electrical connectors at each end;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view in crosssection taken generally along lines 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view in crosssection similar to that of FIGURE 2 and showing another embodiment of the terminal element; i

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view in crosssection showing a detail of the terminal element and taken generally along lines 4-4 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 5 is a view in side elevation and partly in cross-section of the terminal elements showing the constructional details thereof;

FIGURE 6 is a top plan view in cross-section of a portion of the terminal elements taken generally along lines 66 in FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 7a is an enlarged fragmentary section of a connector body illustrated in plan view and showing a detail of the formed channel therein;

FIGURE 7b is an enlarged fragmentary section of another connector body illustrated in plan view and showing a detail of the formed channel therein; and

FIGURE 8 is an enlarged fragmentary section of the connector unit shown in front elevation.

Referring now to the drawings, an electrical connector assembly 10 is shown in FIGURE 1 which is constructed in accordance with the present invention. The cable employed is of the flexible multi-ribbon type, identified generally at 11. That is, a plurality of conductor ribbons, indicated at C, are embedded in a carrier tape T of insulating but flexible material. In the preferred form, the ribbon coductors C are formed of copper strips and are laminated within the tape T (FIGURE 6) formed from a thermo-setting plastic material, which, when set, forms a tough, durable and tear-resistant protective sheath for the conductors C. With this construction, the advantage of light weight is obtained as well as optimum flexibility and durability.

In the embodiment shown in FIGURE 1, the cable 11 includes five ribbon conductors C embedded therein. It is to be understood, however, that a greater or lesser number of conductor ribbons may be employed as desired or as the particular application requirements dictate.

To maintain the characteristics of light-weight, compact-size, and reliability as exhibited by the ribbon cable 11, the same features must necessarily be reflected in the associated connector units employed to terminate the respective ends of the cable. That is, the connector units must be constructed of a relatively light, but durable in elements 16 of the female type and the connector unit 14 includes terminal elements 18 of the male type.

The connector unit 12 comprises a pair of separate but complementary connector bodies 12a and 12b of an identical, generally rectangular configuration and which are adapted to be assembled in a face-to-face, sandwiched relation about an end portion of the cable 11. The connector unit 14 comprises a generally L-shaped connector body 14a and a smaller complementary cap portion 14b. The formed channels provided in each of the connector units 12 and 14 are identified at 12c and 14c, respectively.

As seen in FIGURE 7a, the formed channel 120 is slotted longitudinally inwardly from the forward edge of the connector unit 12 and includes a cylindrically shaped forward portion 12d having a diameter X and a rectangularly shaped slot or compartment 12:? located to the rear and coaxially aligned with the cylindrically shaped section 12d. It will be observed that, in the plane of the connector body 12, the width of the slot 122, indicated at Y, is somewhat less than the diameter X of the cylindrical portion 1201. However, in the plane normal to the connector body 12, and as best seen in FIGURE 4, the height of the slot 12e, indicated at Z, exceeds that of the diameter X of the cylindrical portion 12d. The channels 12c may be formed in the respective connector body portions 12 and 12b in any suitable manner, such as by forming the same during the molding process for the connector unit 12. Alternatively, the channels 120 may be formed by cutting, drilling and/or slotting the channels subsequent to molding the respective connector bodies 12a and 12b. It has been found more economically advantageous, however, to preform the channels 12c during the molding process of the connector bodies 12a and 12b, and for that reason is preferred.

The formed channels 14c in the connector unit 14 are similar to the channels 12c for the connector unit 12 in that a cylindrical section 14d is provided in the forward part of the connector unit adjacent the front edge and a rectangularly shaped slot Me is formed to the rear of and coaxially aligned with section 1401. For the connector unit 14, however, the longitudinal length of the cylindrical section 14d is greater than that of the cylindrical section 120., as seen in FIGURE 7b. The dimen sions for the slot 14c, however, are the same as the dimensions of the slot 12a for the connector unit 12.

It is to be noted that the connector 14 may be constructed having connector bodies of identical configurations similar to that provided for the connector unit 12, if it is so desired. However, the embodiment as shown in FIGURES 1 and 7 has the advantage that the connector body section 14b may be constructed to be identical in all respects to that of the connector bodies 12a and 12b, and for that reason is preferred. The respective sections of the connector units 12 and 14 are constructed from a suitable insulating material, such as a thermo-setting plastic, for lightweight, ease of molding, and which is sufficiently elastic or deformable in the finished form so as to readily accommodate the insertion of the associated terminal elements in the manner to be described subsequently.

The terminal elements 16 and 18 are seen more clearly in FIGURE 5. It is to be understood that each of the terminal elements 16 are identical in all respects. The same, of course, is true for the terminal elements 18. For this reason, a description of the configuration for one each of the terminal elements 16 and 18 should suflice for all others.

The terminal element 16 as shown in FIGURE includes a generally cylindrical sleeve portion 16a and a triangularly shaped flange or fin 16b flaring outwardly toward the rear of the fin. The terminal element 16 may be constructed as a one piece unit, or with the sleeve 16a and fin 16b provided as separate parts and subsequently assembled, as by a press fit or the like. As a matter of choice, however, the unitized, one-piece construction is preferred. The terminal element may be constructed of any suitable conducting material, such as Phosphor bronze. The element 16 may or may not be plated with a protective material, as desired. Two or three ten-thousandths of an inch gold plating has been found to be advantageous, however.

As shown in FIGURE 5, the fin 16b further includes a lip or embossed ridge 16e along both the top and bottom edges. FIGURE 2 illustrates one embodiment wherein the embossed ridges 16e extend laterally from one side of the fin 16b approximately perpendicularly thereto. FIG- URE 3 illustrates another embodiment wherein the embossed ridges, indicated at 16c, extend perpendicularly from each side of the fin 16b at the top and bottom to define an essentially I-beam configuration when viewed in cross-section. It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to any particular configuration for the terminal elements, either as to the embodiments as shown or modifications thereof.

From FIGURE 5 it will be seen that the terminal element 18 also includes a cylindrical sleeve portion 18a similar to the sleeve 16a, but having a somewhat shorter longitudinal length than the sleeve 16a. A triangularly shaped flange or fin 18b is provided which is identical in all respects to the fin 16b. A connecting pin 18d is fitted within the open end of the sleeve portion 18a, as shown. In the interconnected condition, the pin 18a is slidably received in the open end of the sleeve portion 16a of the terminal element 16 to establish electrical continuity between the associated elements 16 and 18.

In assembling the connector unit 1%, one end of the ribbon cable 11 is clamped by a suitable temporary clamping device, as by a vise for example (not shown), between the respective connector bodies 12a and 12b of the connector unit 12. The end of the cable 11 is positioned at approximately the dot-dash line 20 as shown in FIG- URE 7a. Each of the terminal elements 16 are then inserted within the formed channels 12c. The terminal elements 16 are inserted with the fin 16b entering first, best seen in FIGURE 4. As shown in FIGURE 4, the height of the fin 16b approximates that of slot 120 and therefore exceeds the diameter X of the cylindrical section 12d. However, since the connector bodies 12a and 12/) are constructed of a relatively soft plastic material, the embossed ridges 16c (or 16s) of the fin 1612 cut into the plastic material as represented by the dotted lines 21 in FIGURES 4 and 8. As the terminal element 16 reaches a position where the fin 16b enters the rectangular slot 122 to the rear, the sides of the embossed ridges 152 (or 16c), being wider than the width of the slot 12a, again cut into the plastic material of the connector body 12 as shown in FIGURE 2 (or 3). Ths firmly secures the respective connector halves 12a and 12b together. Further, since the embossed ridges 16a (or 166) flare or taper outwardly toward the rear, the connector bodies 12a and 1217 are subjected to clamping action by the fin 16b in the manner indicated by the arrows shown in FIGURE 4. When all of the terminal elements 16 are inserted into place, the clamp or vise initially clamping the connector halves 12a and 12b may be removed and the connector unit 12 is firmly secured to that particular end of the ribbon cable 11 by the action of the associated terminal elements 16 and thereby define an integral connector unit without further additional and/ or external hardware being required.

As seen in FIGURES 4, 5 and 6 the end of the fin 16b remote from the sleeve portion 16a includes a knife, or cutting edge 16f. When the terminal element 16 is inserted within the formed channel 12c, the knife edge 16f is aligned with the edge of a ribbon conductor C, as shown in FIGURES 2, 3 and 4. When the ribbon cable 11 is firmly clamped between the connector bodies 12a and 12b, the knife edge 16f will cut into the cable and embedded ribbon conductor as the terminal element 16 is fully inserted into the formed channel and thus make electrical contact with the latter along a length thereof as shown in FIGURE 4.

In like manner, each of the remaining terminal elements 16 are assembled within an associated formed channel 12c in the connector unit 12 and are effective to provide a clamping action between the respective connector bodies 120: and 12b and to establish electrical contact with an associated one of the ribbon conductors C embedded in the ribbon cable 11.

Similarly, each of the terminal elements 18 are inserted within an associated formed channel 14c in the connector unit 14 with the fin 18b providing a clamping action between the respective connector bodies 14:: and 14b in the manner as above described for terminal elements 16. The coined knife edge 18) on the end remote from the cylindrical sleeve portion 18a cuts into the clamped ribbon cable and an associated one of the ribbon conductors C to make electrical contact thereto.

With the construction as thus described an electrical connector assembly is provided which is simple and economical to manufacture and assemble, light in weight, flexible and highly adaptable so as to fit the requirements of diverse applications, yet possessing a reliability that is compatible for the most demanding circuit requirements.

In One specific construction found satisfactory, an electrical connector assembly as shown in FIGURE 1 was provided having an overall length of 5 inches as measured from the end of the connector unit 14 to the extremities of the terminal elements 16 in the connector unit 12. The dimensions of the connector unit 12 were approximately x A" x As". The dimensions of the connector unit 14 were approximately x /2 x Ms. Overall weight of the entire connector assembly as described was less than 2% grams.

While only one specific embodiment of the invention is shown and described herein, it will, of course, be understood that other variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the true scope and spirit of the present invention. The particular construction of the connector unit and associated terminal elements may be varied to suit the convenience of the maker or application requirements. The appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and alternative constructions that fall within their true scope and spirit.

What is claimed is:

1. An improved electrical connector unit for connecting terminal elements to ribbon-like conductors disposed within an electrical cable comprising, in combination:

a pair of complementary connector bodies in the form of blocks of insulating material adapted to be assembled in a face-to-face relation with a portion of the cable sandwiched therebetween;

formed channels in the connector unit disposed in parallel, aligned relation in the plane of the connector unit; and

a plurality of electrical terminal elements, one insertable within each of said formed channels, said terminal elements each having block engaging means to maintain said connector bodies in assembled, sand wiched relation about the cable and provide continuous clamping action between said connector bodies, said terminal elements each having a cutting edge insertable into a ribbon conductor to establish electrical continuity when the terminal element is i11- sorted into the formed channel.

2. An improved electrical connector unit in accordance with claim 1 wherein said complementary connector bodies forming the connector unit are constructed of a thermo-setting plastic material having sufficient elasticity in the finished state to be easily deformable by the insertion of the terminal elements.

3. An improved electrical connector unit in accordance with claim 1 wherein said terminal elements each include a central body portion having a terminal flange extending coaxially therefrom, and said block engaging means are in the form of an embossed ridge extending along the top and bottom edges of said flange portion of the terminal element, which embossed ridges protrude laterally from said flange portion to a distance greater than the width of the formed channel.

4. An improved electrical connector unit in accordance with claim 1 wherein said clamping action exerted between the connector bodies is provided by the flange extending coaxially from the central body portion of the terminal elements, said flange having a triangular shaped configuration flaring outwardly toward the end remote from the central body portion to define a diverging angle between said embossed ridges extending along the top and bottom edges of the flange.

5. An improved electrical connector unit in accordance with claim 1 wherein the cable is of the type having a plurality of parallel, aligned ribbon conductors embedded in a sheath of insulating material and wherein each of the formed channels in the connector unit is slotted longitudinally inwardly from the forward edge of the connector unit and aligned with one of the ribbon conductors.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,201,744 8/1965 Dean 33997 FOREIGN PATENTS 294,452 4/ 1965 Netherlands.

MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner. I. MCGLYNN, Assistant Examiner, 

1. AN IMPROVED ELECTRICAL CONNCTOR UNIT FOR CONNECTING TERMINAL ELEMENTS TO RIBBON-LIKE CONDUCTORS DISPOSED WITHIN AN ELECTRICAL CABLE COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: A PAIR OF COMPLEMENTARY CONNECTOR BODIES IN THE FORM OF BLOCKS OF INSULATING MATERIAL ADAPTED TO BE ASSEMBLED IN A FACE-TO-FACE RELATION WITH A PORTION OF THE CABLE SANDWICHED THEREBETWEEN; FORMED CHANNELS IN THE CONNECTOR UNIT DISPOSED IN PARALLEL, ALIGNED RELATION IN THE PLANE OF THE CONNECTOR UNIT; AND A PLURALITY OF ELECTRICAL TERMINAL ELEMENTS, ONE INSERTABLE WITHIN EACH OF SAID FORMED CHANNELS, SAID TERMINAL ELEMENTS EACH HAVING BLOCK ENGAGING MEANS TO MAINTAIN SAID CONNECTOR BODIES IN ASSEMBLED, SANDWICHED RELATION ABOUT THE CABLE AND PROVIDE CONTINUOUS CLAMPING ACTION BETWEEN SAID CONNECTOR BODIES, SAID TERMINAL ELEMENTS EACH HAVING A CUTTING EDGE INSERTABLE INTO A RIBBON CONDUCTOR TO ESTABLISH ELECTRICAL CONTINUITY WHEN THE TERMINAL ELEMENT IS INSERTED INTO THE FORMED CHANNEL. 